Conceptual Materials Social Practice Artist
In this weaving, each piece of yarn is representative of a conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. Being told I’m well-spoken often comes off as a backhanded compliment. It carries problematic connotations that, it is unusual for someone of my race to be intelligent or eloquent.
The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if the work is still in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still…
Exhibit On View: September 12 – October 17, 2021.
In-Person Opening Reception: Sunday, September 12, 2021, 12:00pm-6:00pm
On Location: 481 Van Brunt St Brooklyn, NY 11231
I started calling this cart Wide Load before I was even conscious of how much of my emotional baggage is tied to the food I eat.
Don’t even think of visiting my Mom without her feeding you. I can still smell , vivid memories of being punishing for not eating my food and being reminded of the starving children in Africa. A double whammy of eat and feel guilty about eating. I could go on and on…
On View: September 1, 2021 – September 30th, 2021
On Location: 175 Pearl St, 5th Fl Brooklyn NY
The 3rd annual Future is Female exhibit, curated by sk.Artspace, aims to shed light on black women visual artists who persevered and became activists through their personal choices. The exhibition will highlight women, like me who unapologetically live their lives through action, women who had no intention of being a person of influence, yet raised the bar to lead, even when no one was looking – the “Unsung Shereos.”
I have three emotional baggage carts in the show, including my very first, Caution Baggage Cart.
While working on my first shopping cart “Caution Baggage Cart” I was thinking about the people I had lost to Covid and the inability to properly mourn socially distant. I realized I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage related to fear of loss.
The cart needed some wheel repair and rust removal. Once sanded down, I spray painted the cart with gold and bronze paint left over from a previous project. The luscious gold wefts called to Caution tape that I had just foraged from the construction site across the street. I found just the right mix of fabric, paracord and yarns to complete the weave in my remnant stash.
I have been having surreal time lapsed dreams of making this work since May.
The net/weaving is 8’x6′ and weighs about 100LBs so far and I havent started wrapping beading or pulling zip ties on yet.
Did you ever play dress up in you parents closet as a child? I did.
This body of work recreates the act of rummaging through my mom’s closet except i went through my own closet and storage unit to rediscover treasures I had squirrelled away.
See this work at Be the Light now on view through until August 22, 2021 at Bridge Art Gallery 199 Broadway, Bayonne NJ https://www.bridgeartgallery.net/
Have a peak at Heights Over Springfield in the TSGNY June Member’s Show and view all the member’s work. I hope you find as much inspiration from looking at these works as I have.
My weaving, You Are So Articulate, is currently displayed at the 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond at The Newark Museum of Art.
Each piece of yarn used to in this weaving is representative of a particular conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. As you can see this conversation comes up quite a bit.
You Are So Articulate comes in many forms, including…
you speak so well… you are well read… you speak white… and even “that went better than I was expecting”, comment after I nail the presentation.
Telling someone they are well-spoken is a back handed compliment. It carries the connotation that, it is unusual for someone Black to be intelligent.
The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if, it is a work in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still, till this very day.
Being alive means having the capacity to carry past experiences and learn from them. But there is a point when this emotional baggage becomes too much. Carrying too much emotional baggage can literally stop us from being open to new experiences and growth.
How we choose to handle our baggage makes a difference. We have the choice to let it define us or to let it go and move forward.
With it’s festive pom poms and colorful African print fabric, Mind Over Matter is meant as a reminder that racial bias does not define me. It is a celebration of identity.
Inspiration…
Interpretation…
As a child, I wanted to take ballet. When my mom took me to the dance school, the teacher took one look at me and told me I was better suited for Jazz/Tap because my skin tone would not match the point shoes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jazz/Tap, but I never got a pair of point shoes and still regret this to this day.
